Author: faz_business

Samsung hits restart with a viral marketing campaign ahead of the Galaxy Z Fold 8, Flip 8

Posted on by faz_business


What you need to know

  • The company has kicked off a new social media campaign on its Samsung Mobile and Samsung Mobile USA Instagram accounts after hitting reset and wiping every post.
  • Samsung says it’s looking to tell a new story ahead of its Galaxy Z Flip 8, Fold 8 launch with a series of cryptic posts that users will be required to unravel and “decode.”
  • It states that “when we’re ready” it will reveal everything we’re used to seeing about phones ahead of a major debut.

We’ve been anticipating the launch of Samsung’s next foldables for months. Tonight (June 30), the company’s kicked off a new social media campaign, and it’s completely wiped its Instagram.

Samsung says it’s “hitting reset” leading up to its Galaxy Z Flip 8 and Fold 8 launch. The company’s new social media campaign focuses on Instagram, as it states its account feed will be wiped completely. This will take place before Samsung’s wave of “cryptic teaser videos.” While this might seem a bit odd, Samsung says there’s a purpose behind this campaign.



MacBook Ultra: Everything We Know About Apple’s OLED Touchscreen Mac

Posted on by faz_business


Apple is working on a high-end MacBook Pro that could be called the “MacBook Ultra.” The device will have several firsts in a Mac, including an OLED display and a touchscreen.

The “Ultra” name isn’t a sure thing, and Apple could also continue to call the device the ‌MacBook Pro‌. It will be a “Pro” device in the ‌MacBook Pro‌ line.

Design

Apple hasn’t redesigned the ‌MacBook Pro‌ since it added Apple silicon chips in 2021, so the device is due for a new look. The MacBook Ultra could feature some design changes, including a thinner chassis.

Apple could get rid of the notch on the MacBook Ultra, replacing it with an iPhone-style Dynamic Island. A ‌Dynamic Island‌ would unify the way Siri AI behaves across the iPhone and the Mac with iOS 27 and macOS Golden Gate.

Size Options

The MacBook Ultra will be available in both 14-inch and 16-inch size options.

Display

Apple’s upcoming MacBook will be the first with an OLED display. OLED display technology is already used for the iPhone, Apple Watch, and iPad Pro, but it has taken time for larger-sized OLED screens to come down in price.

OLED will be an upgrade over the current mini-LED display technology in most cases, bringing deeper colors and a higher contrast ratio with true blacks. In an OLED display, individual pixels turn off instead of dim when not activated, so there’s less light leakage. OLED displays tend to have better HDR than mini-LED, but sometimes don’t match the overall mini-LED brightness levels.

Along with OLED technology, the MacBook Ultra is expected to have the first touchscreen display on a Mac. Users will be able to use their fingers for tapping and interacting with items on the Mac’s display, similar to an iPad.

Touchscreen capabilities will be used alongside the trackpad and keyboard, and so Apple may be viewing them as more supplementary than a main control method. Apple is rumored to be adapting ‌macOS Golden Gate‌ for touch input.

Apple plans to add a reinforced hinge to the MacBook Ultra’s display so that it doesn’t wobble when it’s tapped.

M5 Pro and M5 Max Chips

The current ‌MacBook Pro‌ models are equipped with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips, and Apple plans to use the same chips for the rumored MacBook Ultra.

Apple is planning to introduce the M6 chip as soon as late 2026, but Bloomberg says Apple isn’t going to release any other chips in the M6 series. Apple’s chip plans have changed in recent months, and there won’t be an M6 Pro or an M6 Max. With no M6 Pro or M6 Max, Apple will need to use the M5 Pro and M5 Max so it doesn’t have to wait for the M7 series.

A second-generation MacBook Ultra will use the M7 Pro and M7 Max chips.

With the MacBook Ultra set to use the same chips that are in the existing ‌MacBook Pro‌, it’s unclear if it will replace the existing 14-inch and 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ models or be sold alongside them as a higher-end option.

MacBook Ultra Hints

There are features in ‌macOS Golden Gate‌ that hint at a future touchscreen Mac. Apple added direct touch input to Sidecar so users can tap and interact with macOS elements when using the ‌iPad‌ as a Mac display.

‌macOS Golden Gate‌ supports an iPhone-style pull-to-refresh option, and it can be used across apps like Safari, Mail, News, Podcasts, and Calendar. A pull-to-refresh option makes the most sense on a touch display.

Pricing

Apple’s OLED MacBook is expected to be a premium product, with a price tag higher than current ‌MacBook Pro‌ models. Apple raised the prices of all Macs in June, and so the MacBook Ultra will likely be even more expensive than expected.

The higher-end 14-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ with M5 Pro chip starts at $2,499, while the 16-inch ‌MacBook Pro‌ starts at $2,999. The OLED MacBook will be priced even higher.

Launch Date

Rumors suggest the MacBook Ultra will launch in late 2026 or early 2027, with mass production to start in late 2026. If the MacBook Ultra comes in 2026, it could be released sometime between October and December, but it won’t be unveiled at Apple’s September iPhone event.

If it launches in 2027, it could come early in the year at Apple’s first 2027 event.

Steam is getting a jockey simulator next month that reimagines umamusume as normal horses

Posted on by faz_business


On June 24, 2025, Cygames released Umamusume: Pretty Derby on Steam, tasking players with scouting, training, and managing the racing careers of the titular umamusume—horse girls born for the singular pursuit of speed.

Next month—just over a year later—developer Blue Bullet is releasing its own fantastical take on the storied tradition of umamusume racing with Full Stride, a jockey racing simulator that reimagines the expected horse girls as normal horses. You know, the kind that in our world spend their time doing things like eating roughage and unsettling passersby with their inscrutable auras. How quaint!

(Image credit: Blue Bullet)

“Feel the tension as the gates open, fight for position within the pack, decide when to make your move, and experience the thrill of a head-to-head battle down the final stretch,” Blue Bullet says in the Steam description, seemingly promising that players and their hoses will experience the thrill that before has been the exclusive privilege of elaborately costumed anime girls.

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US offers $10 million for info on group behind Signal and WhatsApp hacking spree

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Federal authorities are offering a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the identification or location of a Russian state cyber group that has compromised thousands of Signal and WhatsApp accounts belonging to investigative reporters and US government employees.

The operation has been active since at least March, when the FBI published an advisory warning of ongoing phishing campaigns targeting high-value targets by attackers associated with Russian intelligence services. Messages masquerading as automated support communications ask that users click a link or provide verification codes or account passcodes. In the event the user complies, they unknowingly link the attacker’s device to their account or have their account completely taken over and are locked out.

Thousands of accounts already compromised

With that, the attackers can read any new messages sent to the compromised account. A safety feature built into Signal, however, prevents the attackers from reading any previous conversations. The messages are sent to “individuals of high intelligence value, such as current and former US government officials, military personnel, political figures, and journalists.”

Last week, the FBI published an update that said the campaign had evolved. In addition to trying to post as support bots trying to trick recipients into linking their account to an attacker device, the messages also urge users to create a backup of all previous communications following the directions here. A follow-up message then instructs the targets to send the long passcode that’s used to encrypt backups stored on Signal servers. With that, the attackers have access to past Signal conversations. The update said two Russian government groups responsible were tracked as UNC5792 and UNC4221.

One message has text similar to this:

Signal is here

Recently, attempts to hack users of our messenger with the connection of third-party devices to the account have become more frequent.

An investigation conducted jointly with the US government and European partners revealed that the attacks on accounts were carried out by hackers from Iran and post-Soviet countries.

In this regard, Signal updates Terms of Service & Privacy Policy, and introduces Mandatory Two-factor Verification for users.

Not to lose your messages and media, set up your Signal Backup (Settings -> Backups -> Enable backups -> View recovery key -> Copy to clipboard -> Next -> Enter the recovery key -> Next -> Continue -> Choose your backup plan).

Click the “Accept” button in the pop-up and stay tuned for security updates on our messenger.

Stay safe and thank you for using the most secure messenger with end-to-end encryption.

If you have any questions, send /help

Other text looks like this:

How To Integrate AI With EHR/EMR Systems For Healthcare Operations?

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How to Integrate AI with EHR/EMR Systems for healthcare operations?

AI integration with modern Electronic Health Records (EHR) and Electronic Medical Records (EMR) systems will revolutionize healthcare by enhancing clinical decision-making, reducing administrative burden, and allowing for more focused, effective care services delivery. Yet, this revolution is not merely technical; it extends to regulatory, ethical, and organizational concerns soon. Here are the most significant benefits of AI integration with medical systems, possible threats, and best practices for embedding AI in healthcare.

Introduction to EHR/EMR Systems and AI

Electronic Medical Records (EMR) and Electronic Health Records (EHR) are computerized health data recording systems that allow easier access to medical history, diagnoses, treatments, and laboratory findings. While EMRs are typically limited to the records of a single provider, EHRs give a wider picture from a number of different healthcare facilities.

Why Integrate AI with EHR/EMR Systems?

The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into these systems is transforming the healthcare practice, enabling smarter clinical choices, automating time-consuming administrative tasks, and making personalized medicine a reality. By analyzing vast amounts of patient information, AI has the capacity to recognize patterns, predict results, and provide timely, evidence-based interventions, making the coupling of EHR/EMR systems with AI an increasing force in contemporary healthcare.

Generative-AI-in-Healthcare

Key AI Integrations with HER/EMR systems 

  1. Data Interoperability

There is a need for smooth data interoperability to enable AI functioning in harmony with EHR/EMR systems. Organized or unorganized data from different sources, such as clinical notes, lab results, radiology reports, and patient-entered data must be populated to the AI models to ensure process efficiency.

  1. Natural Language Processing (NLP)

Data stored in EHRs is unstructured. NLP enables AI programs to read and comprehend significant results from those documents. For example, NLP can extract symptoms, medication details, and test results to input into predictive algorithms and clinical decision support systems.

  1. Predictive Analytics and Machine Learning

Big data may be utilized to train ML models such that healthcare professionals can predict diseases, treatment effectiveness, or risk for complication. These models may be incorporated into the EHR interface to aid in real-time decision-making during the period of patient encounters.

  1. Computer Vision

Computer vision algorithms could be used to read radiology images, pathology slides, or skin photographs. The findings could then automatically be inserted into the patient record.

Best Practices for AI Integration in EHR/EMR

Identify what problems you want AI to solve, e.g., reducing readmissions, charting automation, or improving diagnosis accuracy.

  • Choose the Proper AI Solution

Choose an AI solution that is suitable for your purposes and can be readily integrated with your existing EHR/EMR system. Ensure that it meets healthcare data standards and regulations (e.g., HIPAA).

  • Guarantee Data Quality and Security

Adequate, clean, and well-organized data are essential for AI to work successfully. Provide privacy, security, and legal compliance.

  • Engage Clinicians and Staff

Enlist doctors, nurses, and administrative personnel early on. Their input helps ensure the AI system accommodates real workflows and encourages adoption.

  • Integrate into Existing Systems

Work with IT groups and vendors to incorporate the AI tool into your EHR/EMR. Enable seamless data flows and immediate access to patients’ information.

Provide hands-on training on how users must use the AI features properly. Clear out issues and build confidence in the technology.

Pilot test the start by testing how AI works in reality. Watch for accuracy, fairness, and usability.

Deploy the AI system on phased basis by making changes based on feedback. Do not switch everything at once.

Track the performance of the AI system at all times. Is it committing fewer errors? Is it saving time? Is it improving patient care? Analyze every factor.

Regularly update the system with new medical guidelines, AI breakthroughs, and data changes to ensure long-term efficiency.

AI Integration with EHR/EMR Use Cases

  • Clinical Decision Support

Artificial intelligence can provide evidence-based advice in patient consultation. IBM Watson for Oncology, when employed along with EHRs, provides cancer treatment according to clinical guidelines and patient data.

Prognostics using algorithms identify high-risk patients who are most likely to develop sepsis, heart failure, or readmission. Notifying alerts can trigger early treatment and care coordination. 

  • Computerized Documentation

NLP tools can capture and document physician-patient conversations with minimal human intervention, auto-fill the fields in the EHR to maintain low documentation time and allow clinicians to focus on high-level patient care. 

  • Population Health Management

AI can be trained from population-level information to identify patterns, monitor chronic disease management, and maximize resource usage. 

AI technology helps with coding and billing by using clinical documentation intelligence and generating precise billing codes with fewer denials and better revenue capture.

Key Challenges and Considerations 

  1. Data Standardization and Completeness: EHR data could be incomplete, inconsistent, or fragmented. Data quality diminishes model performance. Completeness and standardization of data are paramount.
  2. Interoperability Issues: Many EHR vendors use proprietary formats, which create issues with integration. Implementation of standards such as FHIR mitigates such problems.
  3. Compliance with Regulation: Use of AI in EHR systems must be in accordance with health care regulation like HIPAA for the US or GDPR for Europe. Data privacy, patient consent, and audit trails should be implemented compulsorily.
  4. Bias and Fairness: AI models trained on biased datasets can perpetuate or exacerbate disparities in healthcare. Ongoing auditing and fairness assessments are necessary to ensure equitable care delivery.
  5. Clinician Trust and Adoption: Clinicians may be skeptical of AI recommendations, especially if the models are “black boxes.” Transparency, explainability, and clinical validation are crucial for gaining trust.
  6. Cybersecurity Risks: Adding AI components increases the system’s complexity and vulnerability to cyberattacks. Robust cybersecurity measures must be implemented to protect sensitive patient information. 

The Future AI in EHR/EMR Systems 

As AI and EHR/EMR integration matures, the focus will shift toward more advanced capabilities such as real-time predictive alerts, personalized treatment recommendations based on genomics and social determinants of health, and closed-loop systems that autonomously trigger interventions. Federated learning, where models are trained across decentralized data sources without sharing raw data, offers promising solutions for data privacy and collaboration across institutions. Furthermore, the emergence of explainable AI (XAI) tools will help demystify complex models and increase clinician confidence in AI-driven insights.

 

Conclusion

Integrating AI with EHR/EMR systems presents a transformative opportunity for healthcare organizations to improve clinical and operational efficiency, enhance patient outcomes, and reduce costs. While the path to integration is fraught with technical and organizational challenges, adopting a strategic, user-centered, and ethically grounded approach can ensure successful implementation. As the healthcare landscape continues to evolve, the synergy between AI and EHR systems will play an increasingly central role in delivering smarter, safer, and more personalized care.

Contact us to know more about How AI Is Driving Efficiency and Innovation? Book Executive AI Briefing →

Get in touch with USM’s AI consulting experts for more details.

This tiny case transforms your Switch 2 carts into Game Boy games

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Switch game cases are pretty unnecessary. If you have a clamshell case for your handheld, you likely already have some game storage at hand. Even then, it’s probably not advisable to take a large chunk of your library with you on the go, as you never know what could happen to them.

As unnecessary an accessory as the elago Switch Game Case is, that didn’t stop the $14.99 (Amazon) gadget from grabbing my attention. It’s shaped like the classic Game Boy, so instantly I was swayed by the nostalgia factor. Yet it’s the fact that storing your games in it allows its key art to appear as if you were playing the modern titles on this ’90s device that drove me to add it to my online shopping basket.

Close up of the inside of the elago Switch Game Case.

(Image credit: Future/Rosalie Newcombe)

By default, the elago Switch Game Case includes a cardboard insert that mimics the classic handheld’s LCD. It’s basically a bit of paper with the brand’s logo printed on it to appear like the Nintendo text that scrolls down the screen when you turn on the real thing. It’s a simple feature, but a detail that I nevertheless appreciate as someone who grew up on the DMG-01 device.

It’s this simple insert that you’re intended to replace with your own games. Swapping them in place will have their stickered art appear as though a cut-out window of the tiny, silicone Game Boy, which is exactly what I did. I took Pokopia Pokopia, Donkey Kong Bananza, and the Super Mario Galaxy + Super Mario Galaxy 2 collection on the original Switch and gently placed them through the little slots, and the resulting effect was ridiculously cute.

Photo of the elago Switch Game Case sitting on top of a Game Boy.

(Image credit: Future/Rosalie Newcombe)

In the case of the Switch 2 cartridges, you do see some red peaking through, but it’s not distracting enough to be a genuine issue. In the case of Pokopia, the game’s cartridge art fits almost perfectly on the replicated screen (bar the cut-off Nintendo logo) and looks absolutely adorable. I also tested out Donkey Kong Bananza, which looked even better, as the framing of DK and Pauline is better aligned with the cut-out window of the case.

SpaceCraft Free Download – WorldofPCGames

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SpaceCraft PC Game




Download File

SpaceCraft Direct Download:

Be part of a galaxy that evolves through player actions. Mine, craft, trade resources and ship parts. Buy and sell blueprints, accept or offer services, missions and contracts. Participate and adapt to the economy of the Universe, as each marketplace transaction affects prices. nophenia

True power lies in teamwork. Create or join Corporations and collaborate on a larger scale. Develop interplanetary production and logistics by assigning roles, dividing tasks, and managing everything from small crews to vast commercial empires. Freely explore an immense universe where the vastness of space stretches before you, full of untold possibilities. Pilot your spaceship and journey through systems brimming with planets, asteroid fields, abandoned space stations and derelict ships. Cover great distances in an instant with Faster-Than-Light technology, jumping between distant systems with ease.

Maneuver through space in real-time, seamlessly transitioning from the depths of space to the surface of planets. Whether you’re scanning planets for valuable resources or charting a course to forgotten worlds, the Universe is yours. You’re completely free to explore it.

Planets hold an abundance of natural resources ready to be uncovered and exploited. As you explore and scan new systems, equip yourself with a variety of tools to extract raw materials. Scan your environment and use your ship to mine, extract and gather resources. Craft these resources into valuable materials or ship parts, and trade or sell them.

Screenshots

System Requirements

Minimum
Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
OS: Windows 10 64 bits
Processor: Intel i3 8350K
Memory: 8 GB RAM
Graphics: Geforce 1060
Storage: 25 GB available space
Additional Notes: 1080p@30fps
Support the game developers by purchasing the game on Steam

Installation Guide

Turn Off Your Antivirus Before Installing Any Game

1 :: Download Game
2 :: Extract Game
3 :: Launch The Game
4 :: Have Fun 🙂




Download File

Layoffs Looming, Xbox Union Members Argue For Transparency And Good-Faith Bargaining

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Rumor has it that Microsoft is preparing to enact mass layoffs across its gaming division this July, following multiple reports out of Bloomberg plus recent comments made by new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma and Chief Content Officer Matt Booty. The Communications Workers of America Union, which represents thousands of video game employees at Microsoft and beyond, is preparing to negotiate for employee protections, while calling for transparency from executives and demanding basic dignity for developers.

Sharma and Booty laid the groundwork for layoffs in early June, with a memo marking the first 100 days of new Xbox leadership.

“We have found ourselves over-extended as we executed on changing strategies in a landscape of more readily available content,” the pair wrote. Including the hard-fought acquisition of Activision Blizzard King, which cost Microsoft $69 billion in 2023, Xbox spent more than $89 billion in investments and studio support over the past five years, while the segment’s annual revenue declined by nearly half a billion dollars, the memo stated.

“Going forward, this cannot continue,” Sharma and Booty wrote, ominously. Bloomberg simultaneously reported that Xbox was planning substantial layoffs in July, right after the end of Microsoft’s fiscal year. A few days later, reports emerged that Xbox was shuttering or selling off three of its studios, Double Fine, Ninja Theory and Compulsion Games.

During a media call on June 29, CWA offered a clear message for Xbox leadership.

“We’re here to say this plainly: Those workers will not be treated as disposable,” CWA District 9 Vice President Frank Arace said. He argued that “the money is there” to keep Xbox teams intact, but that executives are funneling it elsewhere with little care about the human or creative impact of layoffs.

UVW-CWA treasurer Sherveen Uduwana agreed, noting that Microsoft just raised its console prices for the third time this year, and CEO Satya Nadella personally made $96 million in 2025.

“There is no shortage of wealth in the games industry, especially if we’re talking about Xbox, Sony, EA,” Uduwana said, concluding that these multibillion-dollar organizations are choosing to not support their developers.

CWA represents roughly 3,500 workers across the video game industry and its membership numbers continue to grow. In 2023, roughly 300 QA workers at Microsoft subsidiary ZeniMax Online voted to unionize, forming the largest video game union at the time. Their contract with Microsoft was ratified in June 2025, including minimum salary requirements, a framework for wage increases and protections regarding the use of AI. Multiple studios across Xbox have followed suit, including Raven Software and several teams under the Blizzard umbrella, including Overwatch and Diablo workers.

Today, CWA is calling for Xbox executives to sit at the negotiating table in good faith, and respond to workers’ demands for transparency, support and job security.

Four Xbox employees and CWA members shared their experiences working under a latent threat of sudden layoffs and studio closures. Elder Scrolls Online encounter designer Morgan Goin lost years of accrued benefits when Xbox suddenly closed Arkane Austin and then waited a month before transferring some developers to ZeniMax. Even when teams hit their metrics and executives gushed over their games, Xbox canceled projects and shook up studios without warning, Goin said.

Blizzard story editor and franchise developer Alison Veneto said that with each round of layoffs, affected studios lose incredible talent and also years of institutional knowledge. She added that it’s difficult to be creative with layoffs constantly looming and no defined rules dictating how mass firings should play out.

“Work with us,” Veneto said, speaking directly to Microsoft. “Adopt meaningful layoff protections.”

A common refrain was that Microsoft has shown little interest in actually negotiating with its unions, failing to give proper attention to meetings and leaving proposals on the table for months at a time. Unions representing workers at ZeniMax and other Microsoft studios have successfully won certain protections for all Xbox developers, but the basic framework around layoffs and studio closures still requires serious, good-faith attention, according to CWA.

“We’re done paying for executives’ failures,” Activision QA tester Andrew Snell said.

Automating your Visual Studio extension builds with GitHub Actions

Posted on by faz_business


If you’re building and maintaining Visual Studio extensions, you’ve probably ended up with some sort of build and publishing workflow – whether it’s manual, scripted, or stitched together over time.

This post is for extension authors who want a simple, repeatable way to build, version, and publish their VSIX files using GitHub Actions.

I’m going to show how I do this across my own extensions.

github action publish image

I’ve been using this approach for a long time, and over time I pulled the most repetitive pieces into a few small reusable actions, so I don’t have to keep rewriting the same logic in every repo.

Those are:

  • vsix-version-stamp – keeps your versioning in sync
  • publish-vsixgallery – publishes CI builds for testing
  • publish-marketplace – publishes to the Visual Studio Marketplace

You can use them independently or together, but I tend to use all three.

If you want to see this wired up in a real repo, take a look at Start Screen.

A real workflow

Here’s a simplified setup very similar to what I use across my extensions today:

name: Build
on:
  push:
    branches: [ main ]
  pull_request:
    branches: [ main ]

jobs:
  build:
    runs-on: windows-latest

    env:
      Configuration: Release
      VsixManifestPath: src\source.extension.vsixmanifest
      VsixSourcePath: src\source.extension.cs

    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v6

      - name: Setup MSBuild
        uses: microsoft/setup-msbuild@v3

      - name: Restore
        run: msbuild /t:Restore

      - name: Version stamp
        uses: madskristensen/vsix-version-stamp@v2
        with:
          manifest-file: ${{ env.VsixManifestPath }}
          vsix-token-source-file: ${{ env.VsixSourcePath }}

      - name: Build
        run: msbuild /p:Configuration=$(Configuration)

      - name: Publish to VSIX Gallery
        uses: madskristensen/publish-vsixgallery@v1
        with:
          vsix-file: '**/*.vsix'

      - name: Publish to Marketplace
        uses: madskristensen/publish-marketplace@v2
        with:
          extension-file: '**/*.vsix'
          publish-manifest-file: vs-publish.json
          personal-access-code: ${{ secrets.VS_MARKETPLACE_TOKEN }}

This is essentially the full pipeline – version, build, package, and publish.

From here, you can tweak when publishing happens (for example, only on releases), but the core setup tends to stay the same.

Keeping your version in sync

Versioning is one of those things that’s easy to get wrong.

The vsix-version-stamp action updates your version during the build, so you don’t have to think about it.

It works especially well together with the
VSIX Synchronizer extension, which generates a .cs file from your .vsixmanifest.

That gives you:

  • A single source of truth
  • Version available in code
  • No manual edits before publishing

It’s completely optional, but once you start using it, it tends to stick.

Publishing to the Visual Studio Marketplace

Once you have a VSIX, publishing it to the Marketplace is straightforward.

You only need a single secret:

- name: Publish to Marketplace
  uses: madskristensen/publish-marketplace@v2
  with:
    extension-file: '**/*.vsix'
    publish-manifest-file: vs-publish.json
    personal-access-code: ${{ secrets.VS_MARKETPLACE_TOKEN }}

That’s it.

The VSIX contains the extension metadata, and the publish manifest fills in the rest.

Publishing to a VSIX Gallery (for CI builds and testing)

The publish-vsixgallery action serves a different purpose.

It’s for quickly sharing builds.

I primarily use it when I want someone to try out a fix or validate a change before it goes to the Marketplace.

- name: Publish to VSIX Gallery
  uses: madskristensen/publish-vsixgallery@v1
  with:
    vsix-file: '**/*.vsix'

That’s what VSIX galleries are great for – fast, lightweight distribution without the overhead of a full release.

Works with your own gallery too

VSIX Gallery is open source, so you can host your own instance if you want.

The GitHub Action supports a configurable gallery-url, so it’s not tied to a specific hosted gallery.

- name: Publish to VSIX Gallery
  uses: madskristensen/publish-vsixgallery@v1
  with:
    vsix-file: '**/*.vsix'
    gallery-url: 'https://your-gallery.example.com'

That lets you use the same workflow whether you’re targeting a public gallery or something you host yourself.

Mixing and matching

You don’t have to use all three actions.

Some common setups:

Minimal

  • Build + Marketplace publish

CI-focused

  • Build + VSIX Gallery publish

Full pipeline

  • Version stamping + build + gallery + Marketplace

Use what fits your workflow.

When to use what

  • VSIX Gallery
    Use this for testing, sharing builds, and quick validation
  • Visual Studio Marketplace
    Use this for official releases

Most extensions benefit from using both:

  • CI builds go to a gallery
  • Stable builds go to the Marketplace

Wrap-up

This is the setup I use across my extensions.

It keeps things predictable, makes it easy to share builds, and removes most of the repetitive steps from the release process.

You don’t need to adopt all of it. Start with the parts that make sense for your workflow and build from there.

Chamath Palihapitiya raises $135M Series A for his AI coding startup, takes CEO role

Posted on by faz_business


Chamath Palihapitiya, best known for his venture capital firm Social Capital and the All-In podcast, announced Monday that the AI coding startup he founded raised a sizable Series A.

The company, 8090 Labs, closed a $135 million round led by Salesforce Ventures with participation from Jeffrey Katzenberg’s WndrCo; David Sacks’ Craft Ventures; fellow All-In hosts and “besties” David Friedberg (The Production Board) and Jason Calacanis (Launch); and angel investors like Palo Alto Networks CEO Nikesh Arora and Quora CEO Adam D’Angelo.

Palihapitiya founded 8090 Labs in January 2024 to offer an AI coding agent specifically for corporate programming teams. Its product, Software Factory, helps corporate coders use AI to build production-quality software, not just vibe-coded prototypes, with all the controls enterprises need, such as audit trails, the company promises.

With the raise, Palihapitiya also announced on X that he will lead the startup as CEO, rather than just serving as a board member.

He said the AI rush today feels like the rise of social media in his career as an early exec at Facebook, long before it became Meta. “Since I left Facebook, I was waiting for a moment like this to return to a full-time operating role,” he wrote. “I am convinced that what we are building now is even more important, so there was no decision to make except to be all in.”